Robert Downey Jr. : The Father of the Man

Remember when Robert Downey Jr. wasn’t a movie star? Twenty years ago, Downey was a talented actor. But he was also a train wreck. He made more headlines with his substance abuse problems and subsequent legal issues than he did with his movies. By that point in his career, Downey had been on the cusp of movie stardom for over a decade. But it kept eluding him.

For the cover story of the June 1997 issue of Movieline magazine, Downey was interviewed by director James Toback with whom he has made The Pick-Up Artist and the soon-to-be-released Two Girls and a Guy. Downey was very frank in discussing his career set-backs and how directos (including Toback) frustrate him.

The notion of originality is constantly being ballyhooed in Hollywood. But as everyone knows, originality is an unknown quantity that’s almost always more trouble than it’s worth. The great, creaky system of Hollywood movie/moneymaking doesn’t deliberately stamp out originality (that would take clear thinking); it mostly ignores or accidentally rolls over on it. Which does and does not explain something of why Robert Downey Jr. isn’t a giant movie star.

Downey is unquestionably an original. He’s also widely regarded as an actor of literally immeasurable talent. Still, he’s never done a brilliant film. He’s only been brilliant in some of the good (Soapdish), interesting (Natural Born Killers, Chaplin, Short Cuts) and terrible (Less Than Zero) films he’s been in. Those people who care about quality in Hollywood have spent a decade shaking their heads over Downey-sometimes in awe at one of his performances, sometimes in wonder at his failure to break through, and sometimes in fear and frustration at the drug problem that threatened last year to eclipse talent and charisma as the source of his greatest celebrity. Now having spent years making all sorts of movies and struggling to grow up to his own gifts, and having created his own family, including son Indio, is Downey ready to emerge as a fully adult actor? To be great in a great film–and perhaps to become the movie star he once seemed a sure thing to become?

Writer/director James Toback, whose roots go back to the most extraordinary stint of originality-tolerance that modern Hollywood’s seen–the ’70s, in which Toback himself wrote and directed the classic Fingers–knows what gives with Robert Downey Jr. He worked with Downey years ago on The Pick-Up Artist, and saw then Downey’s potential for dealing with aspects of experience that are far outside the range of any of his contemporaries. For the low-budget, extremely personal, the-’70s-weren’t-for-nothing independent film Two Girls and a Guy, Toback wanted only Downey, and Downey signed on for a short, ultraintense shoot with costars Heather Graham and Natasha Wagner. At the end of shooting, Toback sat down with Downey to talk about the many-layered collaboration they’d been through, and about his unusual star’s approach to acting, creativity, fatherhood, sonhood, Hollywood, money, sex … Well, read for yourself.

JAMES TOBACK: Your character in our movie, Blake Allen, is charming, enjoyable, entertaining, brilliant, witty, musical, lonely, compassionate, duplicitous, contradictory, slippery. When I asked myself who could play him–

ROBERT DOWNEY JR.: –You came immediately to the conclusion of Leonardo DiCaprio.

JT: [Laughs] Yes, but he wasn’t available so then I thought of you.

RD: I think what happens is that you develop certain connections with certain people. If you’re lucky you converge at the right time. You run into a person when you need to. Like when you showed up at the cast party for the Saturday Night Live I hosted and said, “Are you ready?” We hadn’t spoken in what, three years? And I knew you meant you had a movie for me and I said “Yes” to myself before you even told me what it was. It was totally intuitive. And that set the tone for how we’ve worked together. When we were doing a scene, once I’d given you what–

JT:–what you thought I wanted–

RD:–[Laughs] exactly–I was free to let my spirit go. Over and over in the movies I’ve made, that’s the risk directors have promised me I could take, but this is the first time I’ve actually been allowed by anyone–including you on The Pick-Up Artist–to do it.

JT: I’m a slow learner.

RD: Don’t you think a director should give an actor the chance to hang himself? It’s the only way original stuff has a chance to come out.

JT: Some actors, like you, are great at it. Other perfectly good actors don’t know what to do when they’re let loose.

RD: Even if you give them time?

JT: Time is an unaffordable luxury on a film.

RD: We had all the time we needed on this film and it was by far the shortest shooting schedule I’ve ever heard of.

JT: We got lucky.

RD: I think it’s more than luck. I think that actors subconsciously reward a director with their best and fastest work if they’re given respect, trust and free reign.

JT: Actors in general or you in particular?

RD: [Laughs]

JT: How do you feel about the erotic scene in Two Girls and a Guy?

RD: Well, it was certainly a first for me. I’ve made over 20 films and altogether they’ve included four kisses, an obscured blow job in Less Than Zero, and nothing else I can remember.

JT: It’s not as if you haven’t been asked to do it because you look like Lou Costello.

RD: I have to admit that sometimes if I’m watching something that’s sexually explicit I cover my eyes because some part of me still thinks it’s shameful.

JT: No kidding? Give me an example.

RD: Well, watching what Heather and I did was very unnerving to me.

JT: That may be because you were in the scene.

RD: Heather was in it and she didn’t seem at all unnerved. It’s strange, because I’m certainly not a prude. By the way, I found it interesting that you didn’t describe this scene specifically in the script. We just sort of decided what was the right way to go.

JT: I don’t think sex is an area where you can tell actors what to do. If it’s not something that comes naturally to them it will feel false and embarrass everyone.

RD: It’s odd, though. People are always saying, “Why can’t they just suggest it, we know what it’s like.” But when there’s a brutal hit on the mobsters in Last Man Standing, we don’t just hear that from outside. No, you see guys blown up at the dinner table.

JT: Sex is the only area where everybody says, “Wait, let’s pretend it’s radio.”

RD: What I loved about the erotic scene in Two Girls and a Guy is that it’s quite specific, but it actually reveals very little flesh. You know why I love Peter O’Toole so much?

JT: When I asked you 10 years ago who your favorite actor was you said Peter O’Toole.

RD: You bet.

JT: Why do you love him so much?

RD: Because he expresses a self-assurance in his sexuality without having to lay an organ on anyone.

JT: What other actors do you particularly like?

RD: Malkovich is a genius. I saw him in a play in London that was one of the greatest things I’ve ever witnessed.

JT: What play?

RD: I forget what it was called. [Laughs]

JT: Anyone else you like whose work you can’t remember by name?

RD: Leonardo Di-hummmmmm.

JT: You know, I know him very well.

RD: I know you do. I’m kind of angry that you’re friends with him, too.

JT: People compare you two and say he’s the new you.

RD: He scares me.

JT: He shouldn’t. You and Leonardo both have talents that I’d say are beyond almost everyone else near your ages. But even though you share certain qualities– wit, intelligence–

RD:–Don’t say he’s in a league of his own. I’m not prepared for that. [Laughs]

JT: Looking back to when you were Leonardo’s age, how do you see yourself in relation to your own generation of actors?

RD: I thought I was somehow outside my generation of actors. There was the “Brat Pack” and a couple of other guys, and then there was me. I thought The Pick-Up Artist would give me a chance to have a real career, and it didn’t turn out that way. When I did Chaplin I thought, “Well, this has got to do it!” But it still didn’t happen. It still hasn’t happened. It really pisses me off. But I have to say, I haven’t been in a film that’s been a … a hit. And I guess that’s the game.

JT: Any other actors you want to mention?

RD: Christopher Walken. I saw him on this Actor’s Studio program on TV last night, and almost everything he said I identified with 100 percent. Including when they asked him what his favorite word on a set was and he said, Lunch. He’s a great actor. Why is it that someone who’s as good and as versatile as he is–let alone that Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire said that he was a good tap dancer–isn’t a major player?

JT: Strangeness of physical appearance.

RD: That’s what Walken said, and that’s what I think is going to be different. Someone like Chris Walken, the real cream of the crop, is going to be able to assume a power position in this industry if it’s going the way it seems to be going.

JT: What’s different about film in America today from the way it was when you first started making movies?

RD: Movies are better now, more personal. I think the idea of the auteur is coming back–not self-conscious “art,” but film as a way of saying something personal and intense. I’ve seen movies go from being an actor’s medium to a producer’s medium to a director’s medium.

JT: Which it was in the ’60s and ’70s when your father, Robert Downey Sr., was in a vanguard group of American filmmakers.

RD: I want to get on that bandwagon.

JT: You’ve been in some of your father’s movies, including the upcoming Hugo Pool. What’s it like being directed by him?

RD: It enables you to say “I gotta get out of here early today,” and know that every effort will be made to allow you to do so.

JT: Why might you want to get off early?

RD: To play with Indio.

JT: The father lets the son go to be a father to his son?

RD: You bet. Indio’s happy when he can spend continuous time with me. It shows up in his expressions. If you love someone he can spit in your face six times and you can still laugh.

JT: Does Indio expectorate in your direction regularly?

RD: Absolutely. He thinks it’s quite funny. You know what he asks me every day? “Dad, do I have a diaper on?”

JT: To which you reply?

RD: Check it out and see for yourself.

JT: Do you talk to him as if he were an adult?

RD: To a fault. I have to remind myself that he’s been on the planet for only 1,200 days.

JT: What do you feel more like, a father or a son?

RD: A father.

JT: Your father strikes me as the sort of parent who observed his son with curiosity instead of trying to mold him into some personally preferred shape.

RD: That’s true.

JT: And that’s your way with Indio?

RD: I’m happy to observe, but I have high expectations.

JT: Does he look to you for approval?

RD: Constantly. Just as I always looked to my dad. I always liked amusing him. I still do. Which raises a point about working for my dad as an actor. I’m always looking for the approval of my director, but with my dad I know I already have it.

Another PBS talk show star has come under fire for alleged sexual improprieties, with Variety reporting that Tavis Smiley—host of the long-running late-night talk show of the same name—has been suspended by the company after an investigation into his actions. According to a statement by PBS today, their third-party…Read more...

Very few people can relate to the characters in Star Wars like the astronauts working on the International Space Station can. After all, they’re the closest thing our universe has to the space-faring adventurers of the Rebel Alliance, since they also live among the stars and believe in an invisible Force that…Read more...

Cops and Robbers is a 2017 action film about a strung out hostage negotiator who plays a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a cornered bank robber. The post Cops and Robbers Review appeared first on That Moment In.

Christmas is a time for the familiar. For turkey, bourbon and Criterion Collection films as presents. It’s also a time for reflection and a requisite seasonal viewing of One Fine Day, which celebrates its 21st birthday next week.One Fine Day … Continue reading →

Happy Birthday to Steve Buscemi, who turns 60 today. I love Steve Buscemi. What a great face! I like an interesting face. And I like when he’s in those Adam Sandler movies. I don’t care what people say – I don’t hate Sandler (but I don’t love him, either). Anyway! It’s close to Christmas & … Continue reading →

Happy 101st Birthday (tomorrow) to Kirk Douglas! Last year, I reviewed his film The Fury for his 100th birthday & said that I really should review Spartacus for birthday 101. And I’ve totally not watched it yet again! Maybe for birthday 102. 🙂 Instead, I noticed this obscure Billy Wilder film showing on TV & … Continue reading →

PBS has suspended its longtime late-night talker Tavis Smiley after looking into allegations of sexual conduct against its host. The pubcaster said that an inquiry into Tavis Smiley, who has fronted the LA-produced show for nearly 14 years, “uncovered multiple, credible allegations of conduct that is inconsistent with the values and standards of PBS.” " […]

Bryan Cranston will guest host CBS’ The Late Late Show With James Corden tonight, with Corden taking time off following the birth of his daughter yesterday. Dwayne Johnson and Jack Black will be the guests ahead of the opening of their movie Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and Tim Minchin will be musical guest. Cranston is coming off a funny turn during Jimm […]

NBC has put in development comedy Family’s Family, from Black-ish co-executive producer Kenny Smith, David Janollari and Universal TV, where David Janollari Entertainment is based. Written by Smith and inspired by his own life, Family’s Family centers on brothers-in-law Brandon Turner, an African-American liberal, non-sports obsessed, believe-what-you-want-t […]

This article looks at probably the most embarrassing chapter in the Star Wars canon (yes, even more embarrassing than the prequel trilogy).For the holiday season, I decided to take a look at something that’s truly scary. No, I’m not talking about Black Christmas, Silent Night Deadly Night, or even Gremlins. I’m talking about a TV special that only aired once […]

This article looks at a classic chiller that's one of the few films that can even remotely be called a Thanksgiving movie.Unlike Halloween and Christmas, there really aren’t many movies which revolve around Thanksgiving. Sure, we have the classic comedy Planes, Trains, and Automobiles as well as (of course) A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Garfield’s Th […]

Starring: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Natalie Wood Director: John Ford Ford made many fine westerns, but this one has become the definitive western film. It’s about Ethan (Wayne), who loves his family and his secretly in love with his brothers wife. When he is drawn away by pursuing some Indian cattle thieves, he… Continue reading Classic Movie O […]

A multi-millionaire with a strange childhood, known for his famous lovers, his ambitions and his odd behaviour in later life, Howard Hughes was a man who inherited a lot of money, but who made major innovations to the aviation industry and also became a movie mogul. Challenging convention, pushing boundaries, and living an incredibly lonely… Continue reading […]

Hello my lovely readers 🙂 How’s everything going? Today I want to share with you a bit of a different make up look. I usually wear warm coloured eyeshadows but since winter is coming I wanted to give a go to more cold eyeshadows. I liked the way it turned out but I think cold coloured […]

Few would dare underestimate the cultural and commercial power of “Star Wars.” The latest movie in the Skywalker saga, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” is sure to have one of the biggest opening weekends of the year, with an estimated $425 million in its global debut. That’s another good omen for the...

This season, THE WALKING DEAD has displayed a remarkable propensity for turning what should be exciting, fast-paced, suspenseful scenarios into dreary exercises in tedium and tonight's midseason finale, "How It's Gotta Be," has just become the standout example of this. What could have been a fairly taught hour-long tale is padded out to 9 […]

THE WALKING DEAD continues to bog down in its own shortcomings. This evening's offering, "Time For After," was as full of holes as Clyde Barrow's stolen Ford and amounted to little more than a series of delaying actions aimed at getting events to the big 90-minute midseason finale next week.The crack sniper team the Alexandrians left post […]

I love you as you are – That face that stills my heart. That smile that makes it beat, Still every time we meet. The way you love me so, How we each hate letting go, When we hold each other tight, And talk sweet late at night. The way you hold my […]

Marjorie Prime (2017) Based on an acclaimed play by Jordan Harrison “Marjorie Prime”, the film of the same name is a science-fiction/drama film directed by Michael Almereyda (“Experimenter” (2015) and starring Lois Smith, Jon Hamm, Geena Davis and Tim Robbins. It tells of a woman in her 80s, Marjorie, who spends her time with a […]

1. “The Bonfire of the Vanities” by Tom Wolfe This 1987 book really is a modern classic; full of wit, satire and gripping narrative twirls. The book really epitomises everything that the 1980s stood for in the US, and was a giant critical success, becoming a bestseller. The hero here is one Sherman McCoy, a […]

The holiday shopping season is here and we know finding the right gift can be tough, so we’ve found the perfect gift for the young Padawan in your life. This Pendleton Star Wars: The Last Jedi Alliance Childrens Throw Blanket ($89.50) from BoxLunch will keep your little ones warm, even in the coldest winter on Hoth. The […] The post Holiday Shopping: This Pe […]

While there may be a limited number of classic Christmas songs, there seems to be an almost infinite number of covers, variations and parodies of them. The Walt Disney Company already weaves a winter wonderland of magic across its theme parks, so it’s no surprise that they’ve also managed to make Merriment with their own […] The post Fav 5 Disney holiday son […]

All-female plays aren’t very common. In fact, statistically, women in the Arts aren’t that common. The ratio of women to men in the performing arts is around 3:10, and women make up only 7% of the top directors in Hollywood. That’s what makes the New South Wales University Theatrical Society’s (NUTS’) latest production so important. Written by... Read More […]

If you want to lose your faith in men entirely, NUTS’ production of Savages is perfect evening viewing. Four horny, aggressive, lonely blokes sail away on a cruise ship for the boys’ trip of a lifetime. However, their close living quarters quickly feel suffocating as old rivalries resurface and tensions rise. Written and directed by women (Patricia... Read M […]